William Simpson
Ariana Grande, Drake, Lady Gaga and Rihanna are just some of the artists who have returned to TikTok – where Taylor Swift’s music recently resurfaced – with Universal Music Group and TikTok announcing a licensing deal ending a months-long fight.
TikTok’s more than one billion users will soon be able to once again use music recorded by UMG artists in their videos, and existing videos featuring music that has been muted due to copyright violations will be reactivated “in due course,” the companies said. companies on Wednesday in a joint declaration.
The agreement ends a public dispute between the two companies over royalties paid by TikTok to UMG artists, which led the recording giant to remove the entire music collection from its artist lineup from the platform at the end of January.
Hints that the impasse could be resolved emerged in April, when it was announced that Taylor Swift’s music was back on the platform ahead of the release of her double album “The Tortured Poets Department”.
Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.
“By leveraging TikTok’s best-in-class technology, marketing, and promotional capabilities, UMG and TikTok will provide better compensation for UMG’s songwriters and artists, new promotional and engagement opportunities for their recordings and music, and industry-leading protections around A.I. generative,” the companies stated.
“Music is an integral part of the TikTok ecosystem and we are pleased to have found a path forward with Universal Music Group,” said Shou Chew, CEO of TikTok, which is owned by ByteDance.
Part of the new deal includes UMG and TikTok working together to find new monetization opportunities. They will also work together on campaigns supporting UMG artists across all genres and territories around the world.
Additionally, the companies will make concerted efforts to ensure that the development of AI across the music industry will protect human artistry and payments to artists and songwriters. TikTok will also work with UMG to remove unauthorized AI-generated music from the platform, as well as on tools to improve artist and songwriter attribution.
TikTok plans to continue investing in building artist-centric tools that will help UMG artists realize their potential on the platform. Some include “Add to Music App”, enhanced data and analytics, and integrated ticketing capabilities.
“We are pleased to renew our relationship with TikTok, based on significant advancements in commercial and marketing opportunities, as well as the protections provided to our roster of industry leaders on their platform,” said Michael Nash, Chief Digital Officer and Executive Vice President from Universal Music Group. , he stated.
—The Associated Press contributed to this report.
